Formation at HSS

5.3 PROGRAMS OF STUDY

5.3.2 Bachelor of Theology

The Bachelor of Theology program seeks to foster in the students:

A general knowledge of contemporary theology solidly rooted in the Catholic tradition and non-Christian traditions;
An ability to perceive the relationships between the various areas of theology;
An aptitude to exercise critical discernment both in the selection and use of theological texts (scripture, ecclesiastical documents, particular theologies, etc.) and also in the assessment of various historical situations (of the Church, of the world; of the past and of the present);
A clear-minded and searching interiorization of personal appropriation of the realities of the faith; and
An aptitude to perceive ministerial activities as contributing to the life of the Church in spirit and in truth.

5.3.2.1 Program Requirements

The ecclesiastical Bachelor of Theology (Eastern Christian Studies) program is a 90-credit program in Theology to which is added 18 credits of philosophical formation. The program of study for the ecclesiastical B.Th.(E.C.S.) is the same as that for the civil B.Th.(E.C.S.) except in the area of philosophy. This in turn affects the number of optional credits required. In summary, the student must complete 90 credits of theology consisting of:

Compulsory courses 63 credits
Optional courses 27 credits

It is desirable that seminarians have some or most of their philosophy requirements completed before admission to the first year of their Bachelor of Theology program. This would allow for the first year to meet preparatory needs, personalized according to requirements for each student in languages and philosophy. The year could include one or two foundational courses in theology, and a weekly group faith development seminar. This first year is not to be confused with what is envisaged in other circles as a "qualifying year"-a time of accelerated (if not remedial) human and faith development.

The philosophical formation for the ecclesiastical B.Th.(E.C.S.) consists of a minimum of 18 university credits in philosophy as follows:

1. Compulsory (3 cr.)
       PHI 2380 Ancient Philosophy
2. Minimum 3 credits selected from:
       PHI 1201 Reasoning and Critical Thinking (6 cr.)
       PHI 1280 Philosophy in the Western World (6 cr.)
       PHI 2381 Plato
       PHI 2389 Oriental Philosophy
       PHI 3174 Metaphysics I
       PHI 3181 Epistemology
       PHI 3182 Philosophical Anthropology
       PHI 3183 Moral Philosophy
       PHI 3184 Philosophy of Religion
       or another course in the history of philosophy
3. 12 credits selected from above or other university level philosophy courses.

Compulsory courses (63 cr.):

       Foundational
              THO 2130 Foundations of Eastern Christian Theology
              THO 2131 General Introduction to the Eastern Churches
       Scripture
              THO 2100 Pentateuch and Historical Books
              THO 2101 Gospel Interpretation - Mark
              THO 2132 Hermeneutics and Exegesis in Eastern Christianity
              THO 3102 Pauline Literature
              THO 3103 Johannine Literature
              Another course in Old Testament
       History
              THO 2125 History of the Church: The First Five Centuries
       Moral Theology
              THO 2188 Introduction to Eastern Christian Ethics
              Another course in ethics
       Spirituality
              THO 2181 Eastern Christian Spirituality
       Doctrinal Theology
              THO 2182 Eastern Christian Doctrine I: Trinity, Christ, and Holy Spirit
              THO 2148 Eastern Christian Doctrine II: Salvation, Humanity, the Church and Eschatology
              THO 2149 Ecclesiology and East-West Ecumenism
       Liturgy
              THO 2185 Byzantine Eucharistic Liturgies
              THO 2303 Holy Mysteries: Byzantine Sacraments
              THO 2304 Byzantine Liturgy of the Hours
       Canon Law
              THO 2186 Canonical Tradition of the Christian East

       Required by Holy Spirit Seminary (12 cr.):
              THO 2159 Homiletics
              THO 2122 Introduction to Pastoral Practice I
              THO 3109 Introduction to Pastoral Practice II
              THO XXXX Creation of a Pastoral Project

Electives (15 cr.):

The student must complete fifteen optional credits which can be selected from the following lists, from the B.Th. program or from approved courses in other faculties of the University.

THO 2133 Selected Topics in the Hermeneutics and Exegesis of the Eastern Churches
THO 2134 Seven Ecumenical Councils in Eastern Christian Tradition
THO 2135 Eastern Churches in the Second Millennium
THO 2136 Eastern Christianity and the Encounter with World Religions
THO 2137 Selected Topics in Eastern Christian Thought
THO 2138 Selected Topics in Eastern Christian History
THO 2139 Patristic Moral Tradition
THO 2140 Contemporary Moral Issues in Eastern Theology
THO 2144 Selected Topics in Eastern Christian Spirituality
THO 2145 Selected Topics in the Moral Tradition of the Christian East
THO 2146 Selected Topics in Moral Theology from Eastern and Western Perspectives
THO 2169 Catechetics
THO 2178 History of the Ukrainian Church
THO 2196 Theology and Spirituality of Icons
THO 2197 Selected Topics in the Eastern Christian Doctrinal Tradition
THO 2198 Selected Topics in Doctrinal Theology from Eastern and Western Perspectives
THO 2305 Byzantine Liturgical Year and Blessings
THO 2306 Selected Topics in Eastern Christian Liturgy/Sacraments
THO 2307 Byzantine Liturgical Celebration
THO 2309 Selected Topics in Eastern Christian Canonical Tradition
THO 3100 Wisdom Literature
THO 3101 Prophetic Literature
THO 3113 The Psalms
THO 3136 Sexual Ethics
THO 3137 Social and Political Ethics
THO 3153 Bioethics
THO 3154 Economics and Ethics
MIS 2102 Faith, Religion and Culture

Related Studies (maximum 18 cr.)

THO 2190 Introduction to Biblical Hebrew - Part 1
THO 2191 Introduction to Biblical Greek - Part 1
THO 2192 Ecclesiastical Latin
THO 2193 Introduction to Biblical Hebrew - Part 2
THO 2194 Introduction to Biblical Greek - Part 2
THO 2195 Intermediate Ecclesiastical Latin
THO 3139 Intermediate Biblical Hebrew
THO 3140 Intermediate Biblical Greek
SLV 5911 Old Church Slavonic

Any other university level course which, in the Faculty's judgment, will assist a student to meet the objectives of the B.Th.(E.C.S.) program.

5.3.3 Master of Pastoral Theology

Following a Bachelor of Theology and a pastoral internship, seminarians normally complete a Master of Pastoral Theology. This program intends to offer theological knowledge and professional pastoral education to students planning to engage in ministry after an undergraduate degree in theology. Its scope is to prepare the "general practitioner" for ministry.

Its specific aims are:

To provide the student with a practical theological background for ministry through theological reflection.
To assist the student in acquiring the necessary pastoral skills for ministry, for example, liturgy, homiletics, catechetics, social justice.
To enable the student to discern the sociological and psychological world of the specific community he will be working with, and to integrate the spiritual life with this world.
To provide learning through a supervised field placement.

5.3.3.1 Program Requirements

The Master in Pastoral Theology program consists of 30 credits.

1. Six academic courses (18 cr.)

3 foundational courses (9 cr.)
      THO 5301 Pastoral Theology
      IPA 5321 Pastoral Ministry and Psychology
      IPA 5322 Pastoral Ministry and Sociology
2 courses (6 cr.) selected from:
      THO 5302 Catechetical Pastoral Theology
      THO 5303 Liturgical Pastoral Theology
      THO 5304 Christian Community in its Social Dimension
      THO 5305 Christian Community and its Development
      DCA 5310 Canonical Pastoral Theology
1 elective (3 cr.) chosen from b) or:
THO 5307 Studies in Pastoral Practice I
THO 5308 Studies in Pastoral Practice II

2. Two Practicums (12 cr.)

IPA 5481 Professional Ministry Practicum I
IPA 5482 Professional Ministry Practicum II

The main objective of the practicum is to foster a ministerial identity that is informed by the study of theology, practical theological reflection and the acceptance and praxis of ministerial responsibility in a setting where well-defined professional objectives can be achieved and evaluated. The practicums are composed of two elements: training sessions at the University and praxis in a field placement.

The practicum consists of eighteen hours of preparation and work each week, over one semester. Program supervision takes place by way of feedback from other students, debriefing, work samples, tape recordings and verbatims or other reports.

1030 Baseline Road - Ottawa, Ontario - K2C 0A6
Telephone: (613) 727-1255 - Facsimile: (613) 727-1573 - E-mail: admin@hsseminary.org